#HlaudiMotsoeneng makes first payment of R300K to Solidarity

Johannesburg - Former South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng has made his first payment of R300 000 to Solidarity, the trade union said on Monday.

The payment comes after the trade union had begun the process of having some of Motsoeneng's goods attached.

According to Solidarity, the Labour Court in 2017 ruled that Motsoeneng will personally be liable for the costs incurred in the lawsuit in which it found that the "so-called SABC 8 had been dismissed unlawfully".

The journalists were fired after expressing intense opposition to the corporation’s policy of refusing to air footage of violent protests

Solidarity chief executive Dr Dirk Hermann said the R300 000 paid by Motsoeneng is only a part of what he owes.

"The final amount owing will be determined once the costs associated with the Constitutional Court ruling which Motsoeneng also lost, have been paid and included in the final amount due," Hermann said

"Ironically, the Labour Court case is therefore being paid for by Motsoeneng and no one else. Solidarity has decided to use the money received from Motsoeneng in litigation against tax abuse. Although we will deposit Hlaudi’s money in a fund to counter further tax abuse, we will not name the fund after him."

The trade union said it will go ahead with legal processes to recover the rest of the money owed.